The "Lamp" of God's Word

We start our discussion at Proverbs 3, verses 5-6, which motivate us to develop our level of trust in God; for we will always be limited in simply relying on just our own insight. Even when we get helpful advice from a variety of other good sources, we will still need to be able to tap into God, that is, if we are going to fully reach our potential. For it is only God who sees and knows the complete big picture of life happening around us! We need to come to see and understand how God is actually revealing himself and seeking to guide us through all the activities of our daily lives. As we consciously remind ourselves of God’s presence with us, we are more likely to avoid mistakes and finish up where we are meant to be. Not only this, the Divine-inspired mind can solve many a problem in human community.

Then our primary text, Psalm 119, verses 105-112, lead us to understand that God provides a witness to himself and his ways. There is of course creation itself … a magnificent reminder of who God is. There is Jesus, God’s Word in physical form, who personally took a place in the world, and lived out the life, attitudes and character of God. There is the Holy Spirit, who brings God and Jesus close-up and personal to us, so that we can view things, think things, even say things, that represent something of who God is. But there is also the very tangible and accessible Bible, that is a written form of God’s Word. It is through the Bible that we learn about the God we worship, and come to know God’s revealed character.

Different types of literature, historical to poetic, gospels to letters, originating from many various minds and hands (i.e. a variety of human contributors), have been touched by God in such a way that we learn enormous amounts from them. 2^nd Timothy 3:14-17, although originally referring to Old Testament scriptures, points out that when writings are genuinely regarded as of Divine origin, they are worthy, important and even integral to our daily lives. Such teachings certainly bring the necessary light to find our ways down otherwise dark passages. Whatever the issue, the Bible speaks to it somehow – maybe not directly and in all detail, but it will certainly inform the debate and help bring resolution. So this is why Christians … Jesus-following people … give such great attention to the Bible.

Let’s look closely at Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The “lamp” referred to here would not be one that flashed brightly a long way ahead (as we may have nowadays), but one that just gave a little light, maybe a small oil lamp, so that a person would find their footing in the dark (and thus wouldn’t miss their way). So this “lamp” will shine on our present circumstances, allowing us to take just one step at a time … one distinct little advance at a time. Surely we will still find our destination eventually – as long as we don’t turn our “lamp” off or leave it behind! Sometimes in life we don’t need to know the ultimate destination or plan, we just need to be able to take the next right step. If we knew where the end of the path was, that might be too scary all of a sudden, and we might actually tend to head in a different direction (like Jonah did). So we read God’s Word with our daily functioning and decision-making in mind. Some people concentrate too much on the big theological questions, while missing the all-too-important ethical teachings for everyday living.

God’s Word can really only be regarded as a “light to my path”, if I stick with it! Occasional and reactive reading is probably not going to help much. Regular and proactive study of God’s Word is what will really do it for us! And of course there’s not much point in reading without trying to understand, and then having a good deal of commitment to taking whatever action is indicated (v.106). That would be like reading an instruction manual for a complicated appliance, but then ignoring the manual and doing it your own way at your own cost. Regular attention given to the Bible, together with an application of its teachings, will have its greatest benefits for us in times of severe trouble. This is because we have become so entrenched in the Bible’s witness to God’s faithfulness (v.107)! We still may not know what God is doing, but we can regain some assurance and maintain peace of mind.

I am really gripped by verse 109 which begins – I hold my life in my hand continually. It is so true that each day through the decisions we make, and the actions we either take or fail to take, that we can so destabilise or, on the other hand restore, the balance of our lives. We are tinkling with the fabric of our lives each day. So no wonder we need a thorough depth in Bible learning, whereby we can apply God’s Word to all situations that we find ourselves in (verse 109b). For there are traps and snares everywhere to be carefully avoided, lest our “feet” detour off down the wrong “path” (v.110). Remember how Jesus quoted God’s Word in his determination to resist temptation in the wilderness. We have freewill and thus many freedoms – and a deeply reflective study of the Bible can help us channel such freedom rightly, especially in terms of healthy interactive community living.

So we come to God’s Word with devoted praise (v.108) and heart-felt joy (v.111) and growing commitment (v.112), and be wholly receptive to it all the way forward!! For we have found that it works! The more we delve, the more confidence we muster, and the more quickly we know what it is that we must do next. We should also come to our Bible reading and study with an expectation and readiness to encounter God there. We are listening for a “still small voice” that allows the words on the page to address our life situation. Having said this, we would not want to be too flippant and look to the Bible for too many little answers to small problems, while missing its major themes and repeated calls for significant reform.

So over to 2^nd Timothy chapter 3, where we see ultimately what the “sacred writings” are to lead us to – an experience of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (v.15). This … and the fruitful outcomes this produces … is the purpose of our reading. John Stott calls these “scriptures” … ‘a handbook of salvation’. The Bible’s primary purpose is to reveal God’s narrative of salvation. We thus seek to interpret how the “scriptures” of the ‘old testament’ point to Jesus, how Jesus fulfils the intent of these “writings”, and also look at them through Jesus’ eyes. We read the Bible to sense our lostness without God, and come to see that Jesus is the solution to all our need. We identify in a personal sense with Jesus’ death and resurrection, and enter into salvation. We then study elements of Jesus’ life and teaching, and remark upon how challenging that is to the culture of the day.

While “salvation” can be seen as a one-off event of receiving Jesus into one’s life, “salvation” can also be seen as a process that we enter and progress through as we develop in our faith responses. This is called ‘discipleship’ – growing into a more complete follower of Jesus. This happens as we read, understand and apply “scripture”; “scripture” which ‘teaches’ i.e. brings us new insights and learnings, ‘reproves’ i.e. challenges us toward new and better approaches to life, ‘corrects’ i.e. points out faulty thinking and behaviour, and ‘trains in righteousness’ i.e. develops our character closer to God’s character (v.16).

Athletes train to get the best out of themselves; and usually employ a coach, because such a coach often sees better what you need to improve on than the individual themselves do. Such a coach can help set the sort of standard that will lead to success, and encourage the process of getting there. The coaching of God’s Word can lead to such a proficiency in life for the Jesus-follower, that they are “equipped for every good work” (v.17). This means that every good opportunity that presents itself will have already been prepared for in advance, and thus will be fully embraced for all their worth! These “good works” are normally understood in terms of service to others and the intentional building of relationships. So let’s get into God’s Word, and come to discover all that there is for us to learn!!